Your Slater Nitehawks

Baseball has always been a popular sport in Slater going back all the way to the 1890’s. Their most popular town team, the Nite Hawks, dates back to 1947 when a baseball association was formed and the construction of a new-lighted ballpark began. A huge crowd attended the dedication ceremony of the park on August 7^th, 1948. Over the years many local and area athletes played for the team. Some of these players included King Schaudt, John Scott, Ron and Bob Locker, Steve Crandell, Gary Thompson, and Dave Posegate. A few former players even went on to play professional baseball. These players included Larry Biittner, Joe Blake, Clair Ryerson, Jerry McNertney, and Dick Bertell. During the 1960’s and 70’s, the Hawks would gain national recognition and capture eight Iowa State Championships, an all-time record. They represented Iowa at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas each of these years.

National Baseball Congress State Champions

1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976

King Schaudt

Dick Bertell

                                                  Richard George Bertell (born November 21) in Oak Park,
                                                   Illinois Dick was a right-handed catcher in Major League
                                                  Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants from
                                                  1960 to 1967. The Cubs signed Bertell as an undrafted free
                                                  agent out of Iowa State University in 1957. He made his major
                                                  league debut with the Cubs in the second game of a
                                                  doubleheader on September 22, 1960. Though he went hitless,
                                                   Bertell did knock in a run with a sacrifice fly in his first at-
                                                  bat. He recorded his first major league hit three days later,
                                                  singling off Bob Grim of the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 2-for-
                                                  15 in his first season, knocking in two runs in five games.
                                                   Bertell found himself in a platoon role with the Cubs in 1961,
                                                  seeing the majority of the playing time (92 games) behind the
                                                  plate for the hapless Chicago ball club. He hit his first major
                                                  league home run on July 6 off Pittsburgh's Vinegar Bend
                                                  Mizell, and overall, had a decent season at the plate for a
                                                  backstop. Bertell hit .273 with two
                                                  home runs and 33 RBI. However, his
playing time decreased a bit the next season as the Cubs again
stumbled to a ninth-place finish in the National League. In 77 games,
he posted a career-best batting average of .302 with two home runs
and 18 RBI, and despite playing in fewer than half the team's games,
Bertell still played more innings at catcher than anyone else on the
1962 team. The 1963 season found the Cubs rebounding and posting a
winning record for the first time since 1946. Bertell also saw his
playing time increase, his third straight season as the club's #1 catcher.
Unfortunately, he could not maintain his previous season's batting
prowess, dipping to .233 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI. In 1964, Bertell
had career best totals of doubles (11), triples (3), home runs (4) and
RBI (35) and saw his batting average inch up to .238 Bertell spent the
first two months of the 1965 campaign as the Cubs' starting catcher,
but fared poorly at the plate, batting just .214 and managing only
2 extra-base hits (both doubles) in 34 games. On May 29, the Cubs
traded him along with Len Gabrielson to the San Francisco Giants in
exchange for Harvey Kuenn, Ed Bailey, and Bob Hendley. His playing
time significantly decreased with the Giants, as he saw action in just
22 games over the final four months of the season, hitting just .188 with
San Francisco. Bertell was under contract with San Francisco in 1966 but did not play in the majors. Just prior to the beginning of the 1967 season, the Giants traded him back to the Cubs for Don Bryant. He played two games with the Cubs, on April 11 and April 12, before being released. His final major league hit was a triple off Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, Bertell's first triple since 1964. Bertell died on December 20, 1999 in Mission Viejo, California

                                         Jerry McNertney

                                                       Gerald Edward McNertney (born August 7, 1936, at Boone,
                                                       Iowa. is a retired American catcher in Major League Baseball.
                                                       McNertney threw and batted right-handed, and stood 6'1"
                                                       and weighed 190 pounds in his playing days. McNertney
                                                       signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1958 after attending
                                                       Iowa State University. During his first three seasons in minor
                                                       league baseball, he was a first baseman and outfielder and
                                                       converted to catcher in his fourth professional season, 1961,
                                                       while playing for the Charleston White Sox of the Class A
                                                       South Atlantic League. Despite his late conversion, McNertney
                                                       developed into a good defensive catcher and
                                                       made his major league debut at 27 with the
                                                       White Sox in 1964. He would spend nine
                                                       seasons (1964; 1966-73) in the major leagues,
                                                       with the White Sox, Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee
                                                       Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh
                                                       Pirates, hitting .237 with 27 home runs in 590
                                                       games. McNertney was the regular catcher
                                                       for the Pilots in 1969 - the only year the
franchise played in the pacific Northwest - where he reached career highs in at
bats, home runs (8) and runs batted in (55). After his playing career ended,
McNertney was the bullpen coach for the New York Yankees in 1984 and the
Boston Red Sox or the latter half of the 1988 season.

                                           Larry Biittner

                                               Larry Biittner was born July 27, 1945 in Pocahontas, Iowa)
                                               Larry, a former professional baseball player who played first base
                                               and outfield in the Major Leagues from 1970-1983. Originally signed
                                               by the Washington Senators organization, he played for the
                                               Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs
                                               and Cincinnati Reds.
                                               Biittner was a left-
                                               handed hitter and
                                               thrower who was
                                               once pressed into
                                               pitching duties while
                                               with the Cubs. (On
                                               that occasion, the
                                               scoreboard at Wrigley
                                               Field announced,
                                               "BIITTNER PIITCHING.") He
                                               was the first-ever free
                                               agent signed by the
Cincinnati Reds. Biittner finished his career as number
12 in all-time pinch hits list. A second bio suggests . . .
                              Larry Biittner was a fine left-
                              handed pinch hitter and part-time
                              player who could play first base
                              and the outfield corner positions.
                              He came up to the major leagues with the Washington Senators and played
                              for several big league teams. Biittner also made a brief pitching appearance
                              out of the bullpen for the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader
                              on July 4, 1977, in a game in which the Cubs were trailing the Montreal Expos
                              13-3; he gave up six additional runs in an inning and a third, but did strike
                              out three batters. Biitner was in the military from February to August of
                              1969, missing most of the season. He is a graduate of Pocahontas Catholic High
                              School. For a very cool "Life after MLB with Biittner" read J. Heathcote's
                              article at Offenberger.com
                              http://www.offenburger.com/guestpaper.asp?link=20030312

A look back… 7-6-08
After a twelve inning heartbreaking loss on July 2, the Slater Nite Hawks rebounded and got a big victory at Carroll. Team effort best described how the Hawks prevailed in game one of the doubleheader. Stephen Griep pitched five solid innings holding the Classics to three runs, while only giving up five hits. Drew Hepler then came on to pitch a solid sixth and seventh innings, before rain suspended game number two of the twin bill. Timely hitting, smart base running, and sound defense helped the boys from Slater get their first win over Carroll in two years. Leading the hit parade for the Hawks were Matt Dunn, Jordan Smith, Brad Lewis, and Brett Fuller. All four hitters had at least one hit, and drove in at least one run. Dunn almost knocked one over the left field wall with a line drive shot off Carroll pitcher Austin Denny. Both Brad Agan and Kyle Culp made nice defensive plays on the infield.

The Nite Hawks would like to thank www.baseball-reference.com for info on the Nite Hawk MLB players and images.
If you would like to contribute to the photos, history or info above drop a note to . . . Brett Fuller: brfuller9 (at) gmail.com

A look back……. 7-1-06

On a sunny, summer afternoon at Nite Hawk Field, the boys from Slater swept the Cedar Rapids Cougars. In game two, Big Jon Wilson and Cougar pitcher Taylor Sinclair both threw gems for their respective teams. Wilson kept the ball low all game long and forced many Cougar hitters to fly out. Sinclair was equally good, as he stuck out eight Nite Hawk hitters and allowed only one run. In the bottom of the sixth, pinch runner Bryan Beisell scored on a fielder’s choice to put the Hawks ahead for good. Former Grand View College pitcher Jay Berkenpas pitched the seventh inning and picked up his second save. With the win, the Nite Hawk record improved to 7-8

A Look Back ….. 7-26-06

Dustin Dellachesia hit a long homerun and Kyle Culp added a pair of RBIs, as the Hawks held off the Des Moines Devils in a 9 inning contest at Nite Hawk Field. Ben Gander and Bryan Beisell kept the Devil bats quiet, and Beisell picked off two Devil baserunners in the win. “Cool Hand” Luke Cataldo came on to pick up the save in the 9^th with a 1-2-3 inning. Paul Caliguri also played brilliantly at the hot corner, making Brooks Robinson-like plays. With the win, the Nite Hawk overall record improved to 11-12.

A look back …. 7-28-07

In the third round of the DMSBL tournament, the boys from Slater eliminated the regular season league champion Des Moines Titans. Big Willy (Jon Wilson) threw a complete game three hitter, as the Hawks rolled 5-2 at Birdland Field. He and Titan ace pitcher Warren Anderson battled all game long until the top of the 6^th inning, when the Hawks took the lead for good. With the sacks packed, Nite Hawk third baseman Blake Fuller ripped a bases clearing triple down the right field line to seal the deal for the Hawks. With the win, the Nite Hawks improved to 21-14, and moved on to the fourth round of the DMSBL tournament.

A look back …8-3-07

Watkins, Iowa - After entering the loser’s bracket of the Iowa Amateur Baseball Association State Tournament, the Nite Hawks responded with an 11-4 win over the Walford Brewers. On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon, Jon Wilson threw a complete game on the mound, and forced many Walford hitters to hit weak ground balls. Offensively, Josh Smith and Seth Hockaday lead the 14 hit Hawk attack with three hits apiece. Dustin Dellachesia also slammed his 7^th homerun of the season in the Slater win! The Nite Hawks will go on to play the DMSBL champion Des Moines Titans on Tuesday evening in Des Moines. The winner of the contest will move on to semi-finals, with the loser being eliminated.